A nazar (from Arabic نَظَر Arabic pronunciation: [naðˤar], word deriving from Arabic, meaning sight, surveillance, attention, and other related concepts) is an eye-shaped amulet believed to protect against the evil eye. Hindi-Urdu, Pashto, Bengali, Kurdish, Persian, Punjabi, and other languages have borrowed the term as well. In Turkey, it is known by the name nazar boncuğu (the latter word being a derivative of boncuk, "bead", and the former borrowed from Arabic) and historically as mâvi boncuk or Old Turkic: gökçe munçuk, both meaning "blue bead". In Persian and Afghan folklore, it is called a cheshm nazar (Persian: چشم نظر) or nazar qurbāni (Persian: نظرقربانی). In India and Pakistan, the Hindi-Urdu slogan Chashm-e-Baddoor is used to ward off the evil eye. In the Indian subcontinent, the phrase "Nazar lag gai" is used to indicate that one has been affected by the evil eye.
It is commonly believed that the evil eye can be given in the guise of a compliment, signifying its connection to the destructive power of jealousy. Amulets such as the Nazar are used in accordance with common sayings such as "an eye for an eye", where another eye can be used to protect the recipient of the malefic gaze. The evil eye causes its victim to become unwell the next day, unless a protective phrase such as "With the will of God" ("MashAllah" in Arabic) is recited. Among adherents of Hinduism and Islam in South Asia, when a mother observes that her child is being excessively complimented, it is common for them to attempt to neutralize the effects of the evil eye (nazar utarna) by "holding red chillies in one hand and circling the child's head a few times, then burning the chillies."
It is commonly believed that the evil eye can be given in the guise of a compliment, signifying its connection to the destructive power of jealousy. Amulets such as the Nazar are used in accordance with common sayings such as "an eye for an eye", where another eye can be used to protect the recipient of the malefic gaze. The evil eye causes its victim to become unwell the next day, unless a protective phrase such as "With the will of God" ("MashAllah" in Arabic) is recited. Among adherents of Hinduism and Islam in South Asia, when a mother observes that her child is being excessively complimented, it is common for them to attempt to neutralize the effects of the evil eye (nazar utarna) by "holding red chillies in one hand and circling the child's head a few times, then burning the chillies."